Guest railways Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 what do people think of the Dapol plastic kits( basically do they look any good an a layout) thanks railways p.s. can you post some pics of any complete ones Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I assume that you mean the old Airfix building kits. Like a lot of kits it is the how they are built and finnished that makes them! Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest railways Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Yes that's right , but Dapol now make then I believe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edinburgh Junction Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 I use the Dapol kits, and they are great, and easy to make. I've got 2 bridges, and the water tank. They are good kits, and wil use them in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted November 13, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 13, 2009 I've been making plastic kits for rather more than 50 years. My first was an Airfix Spitfire in about 1955. I got a lot of glue all over it! Now I do a little better, and painting can really help. However, my kits generally still look as the manufacturer intended. Clever people will take the same kit and make it unrecognisable, by customising, kitbashing, kit-mingling, producing a unique result. Frankly, in most cases, it's the builder, not the kit, that provides the result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Worth adding that when the age of some of the tooling is taken into account - over 50 years old in the case of what were originally Rosebud Kitmaster products before acquisition by Airfix - they are still acceptably accurate, and will repay some extra work removing moulded on detail and replacing with small separate components. Anyone liking the look of the Deltic Prototype model offered by the NRM, but finding the price a little steep, has the option of the relatively cheap Dapol kit which makes up into a very convincing model. As Oldudders posted it is all down to the skill and care of the kitbuilder, and at the asking price even if it requires one to practice on, followed by one to get it right, that should not break the bank. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
manna Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 G'day Gents I'm trying to build a Dapol Deltic (ex Kitmaster) but what a load of rubbish, It's almost impossible to glue together, even with super glue, it's warped, parts don't fit, I was in the plastics industry for eleven years, so I know what's wrong with it, there is so much recycled rubbish plastic in it, it's past it's best, when I opened the packet, there was a bitter smell to it, a sure sign that there's very little new virgin,.......probably old plastic milk bottles. Anybody else having these problems. manna Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium SR Chris Posted April 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2015 p.s. can you post some pics of any complete ones Here's a LOWMAC I built six months ago. Some parts (notably the floor) were warped but nothing a little gentle persuasion and clamping while the glue dried couldn't fix. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted April 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2015 Very nice indeed - particularly the floor. How did you get that "well used" look? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium SR Chris Posted April 17, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 17, 2015 Very nice indeed - particularly the floor. How did you get that "well used" look? Dry brushing. I use Humbrol matt enamels and start with a base colour of brown, beige or grey depending on the intended age of the wood and then dry brush (along the wood grain) successively lighter browns, greens and greys over it. That particular floor used about a dozen dry brushed colours. I always paint wood areas first and usually before assembly as it's easier to work on a flat surface. Patience is the main requirement, it takes at least twice as long to paint wagons as it does to build them. I've collected many images of untreated and weathered wood from the web and also taken several myself, living on the coast there's lots of weathered wood around. As has been said many times you can't beat working from photo's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gismorail Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 As has been said before it depends on how well the kits are made / painted and at the end of the day its down to the builder as to whether the finished article is up to standard. With regard to the kits themselves they are the best value on the market to be honest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 G'day Gents I'm trying to build a Dapol Deltic (ex Kitmaster) but what a load of rubbish, It's almost impossible to glue together, even with super glue, it's warped, parts don't fit, I was in the plastics industry for eleven years, so I know what's wrong with it, there is so much recycled rubbish plastic in it, it's past it's best, when I opened the packet, there was a bitter smell to it, a sure sign that there's very little new virgin,.......probably old plastic milk bottles. Anybody else having these problems. manna Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Thanks for your post. I've just purchased one in good intent to practice my modelling skills. I'll let you know how I get on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 G'day Gents I'm trying to build a Dapol Deltic (ex Kitmaster) but what a load of rubbish, It's almost impossible to glue together, even with super glue, it's warped, parts don't fit, I was in the plastics industry for eleven years, so I know what's wrong with it, there is so much recycled rubbish plastic in it, it's past it's best, when I opened the packet, there was a bitter smell to it, a sure sign that there's very little new virgin,.......probably old plastic milk bottles. Anybody else having these problems. manna G'day Gents I'm trying to build a Dapol Deltic (ex Kitmaster) but what a load of rubbish, It's almost impossible to glue together, even with super glue, it's warped, parts don't fit, I was in the plastics industry for eleven years, so I know what's wrong with it, there is so much recycled rubbish plastic in it, it's past it's best, when I opened the packet, there was a bitter smell to it, a sure sign that there's very little new virgin,.......probably old plastic milk bottles. Anybody else having these problems. manna Why not write to Dapol, even return the offending item. It may have a manufacturing fault which they may wish to know about and happy to exchange it. Lets face it many of this range of kits are sold and built without to many problems. Also under the sale of goods act it must be fit for purpose (take this up with the retailer), at shows the Dapol folk seem to be very nice people I am certain they would be happy to resolve the problem Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I tried to work out the floor plan for the detached house, but it doesn't work. There are too many windows. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I built the loco shed recently. It went together pretty well, and I don't think the patching and bodging would have been necessary if I'd read the instructions . It was a pretty good starting point for this building, that I may not have built if I'd just started with a pile of Plasticard. The gory details are on my blog. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I like it......nothing wrong with trying to get a quart out of a pint pot? [Without having to obtain another pint..and be left with dregs to find a use for?] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I like it......nothing wrong with trying to get a quart out of a pint pot? [Without having to obtain another pint..and be left with dregs to find a use for?] I did think of buying another kit, but I'm too much of a cheapskate. Especially as I got the one I used at a pretty good price on eBay! There weren't many dregs left, but they're in my materials box for future use! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I built the loco shed recently. It went together pretty well, and I don't think the patching and bodging would have been necessary if I'd read the instructions . DSCF7538.JPG DSCF7534.JPG DSCF7536.JPG It was a pretty good starting point for this building, that I may not have built if I'd just started with a pile of Plasticard. The gory details are on my blog. Nice modelling, I made a 2 story low relief factory from 2 or 3 kits, the windows are the worst part of the kit, would any of the etched ones fit? Great Idea about using plasticard sheet to clad the model Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 the windows are the worst part of the kit, would any of the etched ones fit? I wasn't bothered with this one. The layout it's going on will probably be built to 1970s/80s finescale standards, as it's supposed to be a fairly quick job. I'm hoping to get into mass window production using my Silhouette Portrait for other projects. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikks Posted October 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 11, 2015 G'day Gents I'm trying to build a Dapol Deltic (ex Kitmaster) but what a load of rubbish, It's almost impossible to glue together, even with super glue, it's warped, parts don't fit, I was in the plastics industry for eleven years, so I know what's wrong with it, there is so much recycled rubbish plastic in it, it's past it's best, when I opened the packet, there was a bitter smell to it, a sure sign that there's very little new virgin,.......probably old plastic milk bottles. Anybody else having these problems. manna G'day Manna, I have two of these kits unbuilt, had them for years so maybe better quality plastic, you are welcome to them, just pm me with your address and I will post them to you. I am in Inman Valley SA Rgds.....Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D5541 Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I actually thoroughly enjoy building these, got a fair old pile of them to do as they pass an afternoon or 2 quite nicely :-) I assume it's down to the age of the moulds but I find some have far more flash to clear up than others. As an aside I recently built the Lowmac kit, and on reading through the instructions, the painting instructions actually detailed the colour scheme for the jcb kit, rather than the wagon!! Other than that, I've no complaints at all with them. Somewhere near the top of the pile is the drewery shunter which I want to have a go at motorising :-) Attached is a pic of the water Tower which I actually did in a few hours while watching the rugby on Sunday afternoon, is actually bigger than I expected it to be, i know they're small anyway but it dwarfs my sentinel :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Smith Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Branchlines does motorizing kits for some Dapol loco kits - the plastic kits are the cheap part. I did the GWR City as a Flower class. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D5541 Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Yup, already got them on my shopping list for Warely :-) Hopefully it will provide a step in the, ummm, evolution, of my modelling skills.. Dapol kits, followed by Dapol and motorising kits, eventually leading to etched kits Well, that's the plan anyways... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Yup, already got them on my shopping list for Warely :-) Hopefully it will provide a step in the, ummm, evolution, of my modelling skills.. Dapol kits, followed by Dapol and motorising kits, eventually leading to etched kits Well, that's the plan anyways... If its as good as their 0-16.5 loco chassis then you will have another enjoyable few days modelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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